Podcast Summary

Podcast: Real America’s Voice

Episode: Securing America with Frank Gaffney - Jan. 10th, 2026
Host: Frank Gaffney
Guest: George Raceley (editor of Conservative HQ)
Date: January 10, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of Securing America focuses on critical recent events and themes concerning U.S. national security, geopolitics, and domestic political dynamics. Frank Gaffney is joined by veteran political strategist and commentator George Raceley for a wide-ranging conversation about the dramatic U.S. operation to extract Nicolas Maduro from Venezuela, the implications for U.S. energy and hemispheric security, the 2026 midterm elections, the evolving political situation in New York City, and the ongoing threat posed by Sharia-supremacist groups domestically. The tone is urgent, combative, and deeply skeptical of Democratic leadership, with both guests voicing strong support for President Trump’s recent actions and the broader MAGA/conservative movement.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump’s Risky Move in Venezuela: Analysis & Impact

Timestamps: 02:39–11:05

• Frank Gaffney hails President Trump’s covert operation to remove Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro from power as “a more courageous, risky, fraught presidential decision” than any in recent memory ([03:30]).
• George Raceley calls it “one of the most gutsy presidential decisions in our 250-year history. It was also a necessary one because allowing Maduro to stay in power... allowed the cancer that he was bringing into our hemisphere to metastasize even further.” ([05:41])
• The move seen not as a bilateral issue but a confrontation of U.S. vs. a coalition of adversaries—Venezuela, Iran, China, Russia, Hezbollah, and Cuban agents ([05:41]).
• Raceley outlines the strategic depth: “it was a twofer, maybe a 4 or a 5 for… because the secondary implications of the raid were so massive, so important, so relevant to our present security situation.” ([06:40])
• Skepticism addressed: Although Maduro was extracted, the rest of the power structure remains. George cautions there is “a long road to travel” to truly transform Venezuela, but intelligence operations and negotiations are at work. Reports suggest the current Venezuelan VP (Delsey Rodriguez) has been “playing ball with us for almost a year.” ([08:25])
• Trump is “prepared for another strike if that's necessary”—but prefers a non-violent transition if possible. ([10:46])

2. Leveraging Venezuelan Oil: Energy, Economy, and Geopolitics

Timestamps: 14:43–23:30

• Trump is said to describe Venezuelan crude as “our oil” and sends oil executives to pursue American investment and recovery of assets.
• Raceley explains: “Venezuelan oil has been under sanction for many years... traded on the gray market, the black market. It's been part of what amounts to nation-state money laundering operation with the Russians and the Iranians and the Chinese. Bringing Venezuelan oil back onto the legitimate world market will presumably lower the price... But more to the point, the Venezuelan economy is largely dependent on oil and it has taken a massive, massive hit.” ([16:28])
• Humanitarian aspect highlighted: “The average Venezuelan has lost almost 20 pounds in the last decade because they're starving.” ([17:33])
• The U.S. might use oil revenues to relieve suffering for Venezuelans and compensate U.S. firms for seized investments ([18:50]).
• Logistically: U.S. to control the Venezuelan oil deals, “go directly into storage ships which are controlled by the United States and essentially auctioned” ([21:22]), which Raceley calls “almost a surrender of a chunk of Venezuelan sovereignty, if you will.” ([21:49])
• Economic ramifications: Increasing oil supply lowers global prices and U.S. inflation. “Imagine a drop in oil prices and gas prices at the pump going into the 2026 midterms.” ([24:10])

3. The 2026 Midterms: Strategies, Concerns, and Party Dynamics

Timestamps: 26:54–33:20

• Raceley is “cautiously optimistic” on issues for Republicans/conservatives but lacks confidence in GOP technical and turnout operations ([28:07]).
• Democrats described as in “disarray,” with internal rifts spoken of as worse than GOP-MAGA conflicts. The “far left whacko side is winning” in the Democratic Party, but that only works “in big urban areas.” ([29:46])
• Healthcare costs and subsidy rollbacks discussed as potential Democrat wedge issues. Raceley: “Nothing these subsidies were doing is actually lowering the cost of healthcare. It's merely transferring the burden.” ([31:42])

4. Zoran Mamdani’s Mayoralty in NYC: Collectivism, Chaos, & the Left

Timestamps: 33:20–38:51

• Gaffney and Raceley react with concern to “appointment of Marxist jihadist twelver” Zoran Mamdani as NYC mayor. Gaffney says Mamdani's agenda is “embracing the warmth of collectivism,” implying attack on private property and chaos ([33:29]).
• Raceley: “Based on history, the warmth of collectivism is the warmth of the grave, so not all that warm, it turns out.” ([34:32])
• Debate: Is Mamdani trying to make policies work, or does “failure is a feature, not a bug”? Raceley: “If chaos is the only goal, then certainly they're well teed up to accomplish chaos, if chaos can be considered an accomplishment.” ([35:40])
• But: Promised radical changes may spark pushback if undelivered, especially in bread-and-butter services like transit and groceries.

5. January 6th, Five Years Later: Counter-Narratives and GOP Responsibility

Timestamps: 41:11–48:51

• Gaffney asks if J6 was “an insurrection”; Raceley: “If that was an insurrection, it was the lamest and most inadequate... It was...a legitimate protest... directed to get out of hand by... Nancy Pelosi and her minions... in the Capitol Police...” ([42:43])
• Argues J6 is no longer a salient political issue beyond Democratic circles, and that key facts point to a “well planned direct action” by Democrats and government actors to harm Trump’s base ([45:17]).
• “One of the failures of the Republican majority in the House has been to ferret out the details of that and to expose them... All the evidence... indicates this was... a well planned direct action.” ([46:27])
• Raceley expresses certainty that the 2024 election was stolen and maintains protesters had a “constitutional right to show up and protest.” ([48:18])

6. Sharia-Supremacist Threats: The Minnesota Cash Fraud Scandal & Beyond

Timestamps: 51:27–59:13

• Gaffney probes revelations of “stealth jihad” through Somali community fraud in Minnesota, linking state-level AID models to “an endemic funding mechanism for the enemies of our constitutional republic with our own tax dollars” ([55:31]).
• Raceley: “These billions of dollars... went back to Somalia to support Sharia supremacist military operations... and also... support mosques and other command and control centers.” ([55:31])
• The conversation broadens to Texas: “If Texas falls, America falls. They have targeted Texas with mosque building, with importing thousands of Muslims into the state for the purpose of turning Texas into Minnesota... This is not an accident...” ([58:03])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Trump’s Venezuela Decision:
  • George Raceley: “One of the, if not the most gutsy presidential decisions in our 250-year history.” ([05:41])
• On Foreign Influence in Venezuela:
  • George Raceley: “It's the US versus Venezuela versus Iran versus Red China versus Russia versus pretty much anybody else who might be thinking about becoming an enemy of the United States.” ([05:55])
• On Economic Impact of Restoring Venezuelan Oil:
  • Frank Gaffney: “Imagine a drop in oil prices and gas prices at the pump going into the 2026 midterms.” ([24:10])
• On Democratic Party Dynamics:
  • George Raceley: “The far left wacko side is winning [in the Democratic Party]. The national appeal of guys like Zoran Mandami, AOC...is zero.” ([29:46])
• On NYC's New Mayoral Agenda:
  • Frank Gaffney: “I have been somewhat surprised to see right out of the gate, appointees of this mayor pronouncing that they're going to end private property, at least white people's private property...” ([33:29])
• On the January 6th Narrative:
  • George Raceley: “If that was an insurrection, it was the lamest and most inadequate insurrection ever undertaken.” ([42:44])
• On the Minnesota Somali Fraud Scandal:
  • George Raceley: “This is an endemic funding mechanism for the enemies of our constitutional republic with our own tax dollars. And it's something that the Democrats... It's not a bug, it's a feature.” ([55:31])
• On Texas as a Target:
  • George Raceley: “If Texas falls, America falls. And they have targeted Texas with mosque building, with importing thousands of Muslims into the state for the purpose of turning Texas into Minnesota.” ([58:03])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Trump’s Venezuela Operation: 02:39–11:05
• Venezuelan Oil & Economy: 14:43–23:30
• 2026 Midterms & Party Dynamics: 26:54–33:20
• NYC Mayoralty & Collectivism: 33:20–38:51
• January 6th, Five Years Later: 41:11–48:51
• Minnesota Somali/“Sharia” Controversy & Texas: 51:27–59:13

Episode Tone & Style

The episode delivers pointed, conservative-leaning analysis in a direct, sometimes combative style. Both host and guest blend urgent warnings about U.S. domestic and foreign threats with commentary intended to rally a conservative audience. Critique of Democratic figures and policies is strong, and the conversation frequently invokes existential stakes for the U.S. republic.

Conclusion

Frank Gaffney and George Raceley provide a sweeping, unapologetically conservative take on major national security and political challenges facing America as 2026 begins. Topics are tightly linked to central themes of American strength, sovereignty, energy independence, and the defense of Western values, with deep skepticism about both foreign adversaries and the Democratic Party’s intentions and methods. Notable for its particular focus on the Venezuela operation, the looming 2026 midterms, and a conspiratorial narrative concerning the Democratic party and “Sharia supremacists,” this episode seeks to inform, alert, and activate its core audience.